Automatic carrier system.



0. W. LARSON. AUTOMATIC GARRIER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARLW. LARSON, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

aurom'rrc caanmn SYSTEM.

Specification 0! Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1,1908.

Application filed January 2, 1906. Serial No. 294,183.

To all whom it "may concern:

.Be it known that I, CARI, W. Larson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Carrier Systems, of which the following is a specification.

It is often necessary or desirable, as for example in ash carrying systems, to provide means whereby a load may be carried .to a dumping point from which the. carriage is automatically returned to the loading station after the dumping has taken place, and the present invention relates to a system of this character wherein the carrier, which may be a car running upon rails or on a cable, is actuated by means of a cable driven from a fixed power station.

While my improved system is particularly applicable to a multiple system of loads, that is, to a system wherein a number of tramways emanate from a single control station, it is, of course, not limited to use in such systems.

The object of the present invention is to provide an entirely automatic system wherein, after the operating motor for the cable is started, the carrier will be taken to the dumping station and again returned to the loading station and brought to rest without requiring further attention on the part of the operator.

I To the above end I have provided an electric motor for actuating the propelling cable and a control system for causing the motor to rotate in either direction. together with means connected with the motor for governing the operation of the control system; the arrangement being such that the governing device for the motor controller permits the controller to be operated manually to cause motor to move the car to the dumping on; after which the direction of rotation of the motor is reversed and the car returned to the loading station, whereupon the controller is brought. to its otl' position, causing the motor and the car to come to rest. In order that the car may be dumped at any desired point the governing apparatus for the controller is made adjustable so as to cause the operation of reversing the motor and stopping it to take place after any desired number of revolutions of the motor.

It is evident that while in some of its aspects the present invention comprises a novel system of controlling the operation of a cable actuated car, yet in other of its aspects the present invention mayalso be considered as comprising an improved system of motor control applicable for other purposes than that of operating a cable tramway system.

The present invention in its various aspects will be more fully understood and further objects and advantages will appear from the following description thereof.

In the accompanyin drawing I have illustrated a preferred torm of the present invention, Figure 1 illus rating diagrammatically and conventionally the entire system, while Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are details of the controller actuating mechanism represented in several different positions.

Reference being had to the drawing, 1 indicates a car which may travel upon track 2 and which is propelled by a cable 3. The propelling cable is illustrated as being of the endless type, passing over a driving ulley 4 at the power station and over an ldler 5 at the distant station; the car being therefore movable within limits defined by these pulleys.

6 is a motor which is illustrated as being of the ordinary series type, although any other type of motor may be employed. The armature 7 of the motor is geared to pulley at through gearing 8 so that when the motor rotates in one direction the car is moved outward, and upon reverse of the motor the car is brought back.

Any suitable type of control apparatus for starting the motor'in either direction of rotation and stopping it may be used, that illustrated consisting of a controller of the separately actuated contact type. governed by a master controller. The controller coinprises four reversing switches S to 8*, a line switch T and resistance controlling switches R R and R the resistance switches governing the amount of the resistance R in the motor circuit. The master controller com- I prises a movable contact arm M adapted to 5 cooperate with movable contacts M, m, m,

m'- and m, together with the switches s and 5-. The contact member M is connected to thcplunger 9 of a (lashpot 10 so that, when released. it descends slowly under the action of gravity and engages successively with tact member the contacts inf-m Contact M is moved to its oil position through the bell-crank lever 11, which is adapted to engage with the lower end of the member and is in turn operated by cam 12. The cam is so arranged that when the operating lever 13, which is connected thereto, is moved either to the right or to the left the lever 11 is released and drops out of enga ement with the contact member M, thus a lowing said member to descend.

The movable members 8 and 8 of the switches s and s are carried upon an arm 14: movable with the cam and operating handle, the arrangement being such that when the handle is moved to the right, switch 8 is closed, while upon a reverse movement of the handle, switch .5 is closed.

In order to start the motor, the handle 13 is moved to the right, closing switch s and permitting the contact member M to descend. Current now flows from line L, through the switch 8 actuating coils of the reversmg switches S and S through interlock 8 connected with reversing switch S to contact M and, assuming that contact member M engages with contact m, then the current passesthrough contacts M M and m, through the actuating coil of line switch T, to line L The motor circuitis now completed throufi allof resistance R. The conengages successively with the contacts m, m and m causing current to flow through the actuating coils of switches R, R and R and closing these switches to cut out the resistance R step by step. To

stop the motor, the controller handle is re-- turned to the ofl position, opening switch 8 and moving contact member M out of en gagement with its cooperating contacts. To

reverse the motor the controller "handle is moved to the left, causing switch 8 to be closed and releasing the movable contact member M" as before. The motor circuit is again completed,'but throu switches S and S, whereby the motor is made to operate in the reverse direction; first, with all the resistance in circuit, and then with this resistance cut out step'by step.

The present invention contemplates means for controlling the master switch mechanism automatically to produce the desired results, and to this end two electromagnets E and E whose cores are connected together by a stem 15, are placed adjacent the controller handle for operating the same.- The connection between the electromagnets and the controller handle consists of a pin 16 projecting from the controller handle into a slot 17 in the stem 15. The slot 17 is elongated, as shown,

so that when the electromagnet E is energized the slot permits the controller handle to be moved between its ofi' and forward positions, while when electromagnet E is energized the handle is held in the reverse run- 11 the reversihg ning position. Thus, with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, when it is desired to start the motor after a'car has been loaded, the controller handle is moved to the right, as indicated in Fig. 3, and the car is started toward the dumping station. WVhen the car reaches the dumping station, electromagnet E is energized by any suitable means and the controller handle is moved from the forward running position to the reverse running position, as indicated in Fig. 4. This operation causes the motor to reverse. and to return the car to the loading station. When the car reaches the loading station the magnet E is energized and the controller handle is again returned to the off position, as' shown in Figs. 1 and 2, causing the motor to come to rest. The electromagnets E and E are preferably controlled from the motor mechanism and for this purpose I have shown a disk 18 geared to the motor through the gearing 8 and 19,the gearing being so proportioned that the disk makes less than a complete rotation while the car travels between its limits. On the disk are mounted contacts 20 and 21, adapted to cooperate respectively with fixed contacts 22 and 23. When the car is at the loading station the contacts 20 and 22 are in engagement and a circuit may be traced from line L through .these contacts, through the actuating coil of electromagnet E back to line L. When the motor is started and the car begins to approach the dumping station, engagement between the contacts 20 and 22 is interrupted and contact '21 begins to move toward contacts When contacts 21 and 23 engage, a circuit may be tracedfrom line L through these contacts, and thence through the actuating coil of electromagnet E, to line L. Therefore, as previously explained, the controller arm is moved into the reverse running position, consequently, the car starts on its return journey. Contact 21 again leaves contacts 23 and, when the car reaches the loading station, contact 20 again engages contacts 22 and electromagnet E is more energized. The operation of electromagnet E bein to return the controller handle to the of? position, the motor and car are brought to rest as soon as contacts 20 and 22 engage, namely, when the car reaches the in order that the dumping station may be changed from one point to another, as may be desired. This adjustment may he efiected in various ways, as, for example, contact member 21 may he carried upon an arm 24 which is pivoted at 25 and adapted to be held to any one of a number of positions by means ofta in 26 which passes through the arm 24 and into any one of-a number of openings 27 concentrically arranged about device geared to the pivotal point 25. 28 indicates atrip or stop which may be adjusted along the track so that it may cooperate with the dumping mechanism 29 on the car about the time when contact 21 engages with contacts 23, thereby permitting the dumping of the load and the reversing of the car to take place in proper relation to each other.

.Although I have illustrated in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention, I do not desire to be limited to the specific details illustrated; it is evident that various forms of control apparatus may be employed and that the functions of the coritroller handle and operating electromagnets may be varied from those specifically enumerated since, in some aspects of the present invention, it is only necessary that the apparatus be suchas to bring the car to the dumping station and then automatically return it and stop it at the loading station.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesflsi 1. In combination, a car, a cable for moving said car, a motor for actuating said cable, reversing control apparatus for said motor, a device geared to" said motor, and

means controlled by said device for actuatmg said control apparatus from forward to reverse in one bringing said stopping device. I

2. In combination, a car, a cable for moving said car, av motor for actuating said cable, a device geared to said motor, means controlled oy said device for reversing said motor in one position of said device and for position of the device and for controlling apparatus to motor position in another position of the stopping said motor in another position of said device, and means for varying the relation between said positions of the device inorder to vary the number of revolutions of the motor required to move said device from one of said positions to the other.

3. In combination, a car, a cable for mov-' ing said car, a motor for actuating said cable, a controller arranged to be operated manuallyinto forward running position, a

said motor, and means controlled by said troller into reverse running position in one position of the device and into oft 'position in another position of the said device.

4. In combination, a car, a cable for moving said car, a motor for actuating said cable, a controller arranged to be operated manually into forward running position, an electromagnet for moving said controller into reverse running position, a second elecdevice for moving said con 5. In combination, a car, a cable for moving said car,

a motor for actuating said cable,

a reversing controller, an electromaga net for moving said controller from forward to reverse, a second electromagnet for moving said controller to off position, circuits for energizing said electromagnets, and a device geared to said motor and arranged to complete the circuit for oneof said electromagnets and then complete the circuit of the other electromagnet'after the motor has made a predetermined number of revolutions.

6. In combination, a motor, a reversing controller, an electromagnet for moving said controller from forward to reverse, a second electromagnet for moving said controllerto 01f position, energizing circuits for said electromagnets, a device geared to said motor, contact members geared to said device and arranged to successively complete said circuits, and means for adjusting'said contact members relative to each other.

7. In combination, a car, a cable for actuating said car, a motor for actuating said cable, a reversing controller, means for moving said controller from forward to reverse, means for moving said controller from re-' verse to off position, a control circuit for governing the operation of each of said means, a member geared to said motor, and contacts on said member adapted to complete one of said circuits in one position of the said member and the other circuit in a second position of said member.

8. In combination, amotor, a reversing controller, an electromagnet for moving said controller from a. forward running position to a reverse running position, a second electromagnet arranged to move said cont-roller from a reverse running position to the off position, and means controlled by said motor for energizing the first electromagnet after the motor has made a predetermined number of revolutions in a forward direction and the second electromagnet when the motor has made a predetermined number of revolutions in'the reverse direction.

In witness whereof I have hereunto hand this 30th day of December, 1905.

CARL W. LARSON.

set my WVitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL,

HEILEN ORFORD. 

